Apparatus for the electrolysis of water



July 28, 1925.

L. CASALE APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER Filed July 19 1922Patented July 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,547,362 PATENT OFFICE. I

LUIGI ROME, ITALY, ASSIGNOB TQ CASALE AMMONIA COMPANY, OF

- LUGANO, SWITZERLAND.

APPARATUS'FOB THE ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER.

, Application filed m 19, 1922. 'Seria11io.576,104.

ments in or Relating to Apparatus for the Electrolysis of Water, ofwhich the following'is a specification.

The electrolysis of water in the produc-- tion of hydrogen and oxygen iscontinually increasing in industrial importance. The decomposition isusually effected by passing the current between metallic electrodes im-*mersed in an alkaline electrolyte and separated by a diaphragm ofasbestos clot The employment of this diaphragm, the 0bject of which isto separate the two gases,

The object of the present invention is to.

provide an apparatus for the electrolysis 'of water, in which nodiaphragm is interposed between the electrodes, the two gases beingseparately guided'by the currents set up in the electrolyte by theascensional force exerted'by' the gases liberated, at the electrodes,inp-the interior of the liquid.

lyte is not. diluted, between the electrodes,

by the tiny bubbles of escaping gas, and

consequently, the conductivity of the liquid is uniform throughout itsentire mass.

A typical electrolyzer according .to the present invention is'illustrated' diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig.1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the electrolyzer, that isto say parallel with the electrodes, and Fig. 2 1s also a section-ofthe. a paratus, but in the transverse direction. 1g. 3 is a verticalsection of-a modified. form of the device and In this apparatus thecurrent efliciency is therefore greater, not only because there is nodiaphragm, but also because the electro-' Fig.4 is a horizontal-sectionof the Sill-11G! ture shown in Fig. 3.

The electrolyte is contained in a parallelopiped vessel 1, resting oninsulating feet 2 and closed by a tight cover 3 having a gas tightconnection 4 with the vessel 1. Below the joint the cover telescopesinto the interior of the vessel for such a distance that it dipsslightly below the level of the liquid.

Each electrode consists of a. pile of a certain number of elements 5,each of which is composed of a strip of sheet iron slanting as shorizontal plane so as to form a rectangular frame, the section ofwhich, in the direction of the longest side, is shown in Fig. 1, andextending substantially the full length of the containing vessel 1. Thesection alon the shorter side is represented. in Fig. 2 an showseachframe extending but a small own in the drawing and bent in thefraction of the total width of the containing vessel 1.- Above the pileof elements 5 is aterminal element '6, exactly the same as the othersexcept that it is of much. greater height. Its upper surface projectsabove the level of the liquid. All the elements 5 and the correspondingelement 6 of the same electrode are connected together by small plates,.as indicated by 7 and 8, terminatin m two-rods 9 and- 10, whichpassthrong the stufiin glands 11 in the cover of t e vessel, sai rods beinginsulated and serving atthe same time,-as current leads and as supportsfor the electrodes. Each electrode thus resembles a parallelopiped bell,with walls formed with fgaps like jalousieand di-.

rected upwardly om the outside of the bell towards; the interior. Theelectrodes areidentical except for the two end electrodes, which may beregarded as. formed by dividing on a central longitudinal plane, anelectrode builtup in the manner described, and by facing the sectionalplane in each of the two halves thus obtained with a sheet ofmetal asshown.

The cover of the vessel 1s provided with partitions 12 extending as faras the level of the liquid between. the electrodes, so as.

to form in relation to each electrode a closed cell 13 over the liquid.Each cell is provided, in its upper part with a delivery tube 14. Ofthese tubes 14, assuming them to be numbered progressively, the evennumbers terminate n a collector 15, and the odd numbers in anothercollector 16. The curupper part being solid. The gapped portion.

may bereplaced by a simple metal gauze.

rent leads are arranged in such a manner that the electrodes arealternately anodes and cathodes.

The apparatus operates in the following manner:

During the passage of the current, the tiny bubbles of gas liberate-d atthe facing outer surfaces of two contiguous electrodes are collected inthe interior of the respective electrodes, in consequence of thespecified special arrangement of said surfaces themselves. Hence, whilstthe space between one electrode and the other is occupied solely by theelectrolyte, the interior of each electrode is occupied solely by theelectrolyte, emulsified by the tiny bubbles of gas. In this 'way, twocommunicating columns of liquid are formed, of equal height but ofdifferent specific gravity, consequently the system cannot be inequilibrirun, and there is an ascending movement set up insidetheelectrodes and a descending movement between one electrode and theother.

The level of the liquid is regulated in such a way that the ascendinginterior column passes beyond the element 6 and discharges outside saidelement thus separating the gas from the liquid which sinks to the lowerlevel and serves to feed the descendclose fitting cover 20; a cathodeformed by a cylindrical surface of sheet metal 21 and by another surface22, also cylindrical, placed inside the former" and provided withhorizontal or sloping "gaps, these two surfaces being connected at thebottom by an annular base 23. The gapped portion does not extend as faras the surface of the liquid the The anode, which is arranged inside thecathode, is formed in exactly the same way,

except that in this case the exterior surface is pierced whilst theinterior surface is solid. In the upper part of the apparatus a mediancylindrical partition 24, secured to the inside of the cover, projectsbetween the electrodes and divides the bell formed by the cover into twochambers, to each of which corresponds the upper extremity of anelectrode and each 1s provided with a tube 25, 26 for collecting thegases.

Each electrode is provided with a support and current lead as in theprevious case.

The apparatus works in the same manner, as that already described,except that the ascending currents pass into the interior of theelectrodes and into the space situated between the confronting surfaces,whilst the descending currents pass on the outerside of the cathode andthe inner side of the anode.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner thesame is to be performed I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water,electrodes having passages therein for the gases liberated at saidelectrodes adapted to separate said gases and to provide a path ofuniform conductivity between said electrodes.

2. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, an electrodecomprising a column of spaced outwardly flared members.

3. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, electrodes comprisingthe columns of spaced members adapted to direct the liberated gases intothe interior of the columns and provide a circulation of the electrolyte between opposing electrodes.

4. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, electrodes comprisingcolumns of spaced outwardly flared members adapted to direct theliberated gases away from the spaces between opposing electrodes.

5. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, cooperating electrodesadapted to direct the liberated gases away from the current path betweensaid electrodes.

6. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a coverfor said container having partitions dividing the. space above theelectrolyte into chambers, electrodes adapted to direct the liberatedgases away from thespace between opposing electrodes to said chambersand conduits connected to said chambers.

7. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water; a container, a coverfor said con tainer, conductin supports carried by said cover andelectro es comprising a lurality of spaced outwardly flared rectangu armembers carried by said supports.

8. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a coverfor said container, conducting supports carried by said cover, meanscarried by said cover dividing the space above the electrolyte intochambers and electrodes carried by said supports having passages thereinfor directing liberated gases away from each other and to said chambers.

9. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a coverfor said container, conducting supports carried by said cover andelectrodes carried'by said supports having passages adapted to directthe liberated gases from the current path between the electrodes. a

10. In an apparatus for the electrolysis water, cooperating of water,coo erating electrodes providing paths within t e electrodes for theliberated gases such that a flow of electrolyte of uni-,

form density is set up across the paths between the opposing electrodes.

11. In an apparatus for the water, cooperating electrodes havin passagesfor the discharge of the liberate gases and electrolyte, said gasesbeing separated from said electrolyte upon the ischarge of saidelectrolyte over said electrodes.

12. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of electrodes adapted to causea flow of the electrolyte over said electrodes to separate the liberatedgases from the electrolyte.

13. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a cover.for said container, conducting supports carried by said cover andelectrodes carried by said support adapted to cause a flow of theelectrolyte to separate the gases liberated at electrolysis of theelectrodes.

14. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a coverfor said container, conducting supports carried by said cover and anelectrode carried by said supin the separation of the sages which directorts comprisin a column of spaced strips inclined upwar y and inwardl15. In an apparatus for the e ectrol sis of water, a container, a coverfor sai container, conducting supports carried by said cover andelectrodes comprising a plurality of spaced hollow rectangular membershaving outwardly flared lower edges carried by said support.

16. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, cooperatingelectrodes having passages WhlCh direct the liberated gases away ses an10h aids from each other.

In testimony signed my name in witnesses.

whereof I have hereunto the presence of two LUIGI CASALE. Witnesses:

J. J. Harmer,

Vam-zmoo RULLI.

